On the first of every month, Our Lord gives Anne a new message about His call to service. March 1, 2011 Jesus Be at peace, dear apostles. I urge you to strive daily to be at peace. All that surrounds you will benefit from your understanding that while the world changes, God remains the same. I am the same. I am with you and the reason I urge you toward a peaceful countenance is because the enemy of peace sows fear in God’s children. You may think that I am asking you to be at peace but that this is too difficult. Dear friend of My heart, consider for a moment. What diminishes your peace? Which people? Which habits? Which activities? Ask yourself why these people or things diminish your peace? You must find these answers in contemplation of Me and contemplation of heavenly concepts. Only then will you be able to readily identify the contrast between the feeling of peace that heaven offers to you and the feeling of agitation that the world offers to you. The Spirit within you directs you to quiet, even in the midst of what might necessarily be a busy life. If you work from Me, you will retain your peace in activity and interaction with others because you will be giving and receiving Me. When you are with someone who is unable to accept My love, My love will surround that person until that person can receive it and you will not have wasted love because My love blesses you even as it moves through you. By working from Me, you are disciplining yourself to remain peaceful because I am peace. I am calm. I am love. How often I ask you to provide the world with a contrast and it is in remaining peaceful that you will do so. Be alert to My presence and you will spread peace.
I love the way God works on me to get my attention. The issue of "peace" has been at the forefront for about two weeks now. Our gifted priest just gave me a book last week which may prove to be a wonderful little book for Lent. It's a slip of a book, easy to read, only 110 pages but it's loaded! The name is SEARCHING FOR AND MAINTAINING PEACE by Father Jacques Philippe. This one is a keeper.
This reminds me of a lovely thing I witnessed at work today. My boss is called Maura a very gentle, kind soft spoken grand mother, who is very, very slow to loose her cool in situations where, to be honest there might well be smoke coming out my own ears. Today I recieved an email form a medical secretary who has for very long been a thorn in our side as she is very bad tempered. I tried to pacify her a little but every email she sent me back appeared to get more and more angry. So I passed the buck to Maura and I noticed she started getting a bit hot under the collar herself. She began to write an angry email herself, as I watched but she suddenly stopped, wiped it and said out loud, 'No I wil not bring myself down to her level' . Then she typed a very steady reasonable email pointing out where the secretary had misunderstood. We heard no more of the matter. If it had been left to me there probably would have been World War 3 :lol: But Maura reminded me of what one of the Fathers of the Desert wrote one time, that a row is a little like a fire. We need to put out the Fire with the Waters of the Holy SPirit and not add to the fire with a fire of our own. He compared anger to being like a fire in the community that grows and grows as each person adds to it and added the scriptural text: Psalm 133:1 A song of ascents. Of David. How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! Every person has great virtues and Maura's , it seems to me is to promote peace; no small thing in a crowded office. I also liked what someone wrote that if we react to people as they expect us to we let them control us. So if others try to anger us and we react with anger we are letting them pull our strings. They own us. Peace and forgiveness cut those strings and give us freedom. Of course office tiffs are so small but there is so much, so very much anger in the world around us; Libya being a good example. But if we don't pray, where wil lwe get the waters to quench the fires? Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. Saint Francis de Sales Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength. Saint Francis de Sales There was never an angry man that thought his anger unjust. Saint Francis de Sales
I walked into my Prayer and Life Workshop yesterday morning and there on the whiteboard in big letters was the title for session #5....... SURRENDER TO PEACE! :shock: I almost laughed out loud.
I think few things are better than bringing Peace than jumping into the ORasry, especially late at night: the others are, The Mass Reception of the Eucharist Confession and praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament. I have to say in times of real difficulty and testing I head straight for the Blessed Sacrament it is my emergency ejector seat; it never fails. Talking to folks about our problems may help somewhat especially if they are wise, honest, firm , truthful and empathetic along with being good listeners..but how many of those kind of people do we find going about?? But in the Blessed Sacrament we find the biggest ears and the biggest heart and the surest oinmetnt for hurt in the Universe. A great Doctor of the heart and a nurse for the soul; He never fails. The Lamb of God; bringer of Peace, Prince of Peace.
Wow, maybe its the weather. or the solar storms...! I too have been having a real issue with peace the last two weeks. I went so far as to print out information on a few retreat houses close to me for the first time...I did this on Monday. I started thinking I needed to go for a few days of silence - alone. I need to hear God, I need to know what to do, my inner peace is so topsy turvy right now. But now I think I want to wait to go. I just got back from Florida, and honestly I don't want to leave the kittens for another weekend again so soon. We just had them "fixed" last friday, and though they are fine, I have this motherly feeling to not leave them yet. Now this message, and before I read this, I received my monthly inspiration email from Matthew Kelly and it talked EXACTLY about taking time out to be silent, go to a silent place, and to hear God...funny his message was almost exactly what I was thinking two days ago. So, should I go? This weekend? Me alone, no husband. I have never done a silent retreat. I am afraid this is actually a bad time, but maybe it is the best time. I have told no one I am even thinking about it, and was not going to tell the forum either, until I read this thread. I am very torn as to whether I need to actually leave for two days or if I could just spend an afternoon in adoration or something. But the problem there is other people come and go, and sometimes they speak to you, it isn't really solitude, not really.
This is wonderful - peace. This is what I needed to hear. Yes, peace is needed in the world. I, too, feel the urge to pray for peace. Thank you, Lee for sharing this message!
